BrackenClan Book 1: The Promise
by Mizuni
Summary: Warriors fanfic with OC characters, settings, plot, and Clans. Reviews welcome. See my profile for full book summary.
1. Chapter 1

**BrackenClan**

Book one: The Promise

Chapter one _The Journey_

Bumblepaw padded on torn paws. He struggled to leap from a boulder to the one closer to the ground. Any cat could look at the mountains and say that they would be hard to cross, like Bumblepaw had once thought, but no cat could understand the journey it was to get through it. The dark pelt tabby tomcat had left his Clan about a quarter moon ago. His sister, Dippedpaw, had stayed behind with their mother Aspentail. Bumblepaw and his sister lost their father not long ago and left the nursery afterward. Bumblepaw had felt left out of Clan life after that. Then, one night, he was given a dream by StarClan. His father had come to him and had told him that he must leave his Clan. Bumblepaw wasn't sure about it at first, but soon found that this was what he _had _to do. When he woke he said goodbye to his sister and left before another cat to notice him. He had spent a week traveling through the chain of mountains that bordered the valley his Clan, and another known as ReedClan, lived.

Bumblepaw slipped suddenly, and his thoughts of MizuClan slipped with him as he left out a terrified yowl. He hit the moor ground hard although he could feel how springy and cool it felt to his flaming paws.

The young apprentice got up slowly and shook his pelt. How much farther did he have to go? Yet, if Bumblepaw was too lead a Clan, he would want it to be as far away from the valley as he could get. With Twoface and his "family" about, Bumblepaw didn't want to risk the safety of himself or the cats that would soon be joining him. However, the journey was far from over and Bumblepaw wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it.

_What if I can't find the new land, and fail my father? What if Twoface finds me or the Clan that I will make? Does StarClan have the right cat?_

Questions swirled in Bumblepaw's head, but none could be answered right now. The tomcat shook his head to clear his thoughts and moved on.

It was two days later and Bumblepaw was only half way through the moor land. It was huge! And worst of all he could see more mountains in the distance. He moaned at the thought of going over more. Luckily there was prey here. It was faster then Bumblepaw most of the time, but he managed to catch a rabbit and a bird that he had never seen before. His belly growled for more food, and so Bumblepaw opened his mouth to drink in the air. The strong scent of a mouse caught his attention and Bumblepaw crouched down to find the source. The small brown mouse never knew he was there, and Bumblepaw finished it off quickly before continuing on to the mountains.

By night fall, Bumblepaw had chosen a spot by a short hill. He made a rough nest but it was better then mountain rock. Bumblepaw slept without dreams that night. It started him, and in the morning Bumblepaw started out slow in case his father decided to give him a sign, but none came. Bumblepaw was restless most of the way. He did manage to get to the mountain base by moonhigh, and it was comforting to know that this mountain was nothing compared to the one that he had to climb before. Bumblepaw rested an extra day before starting to climb early the following morning.

As Bumblepaw used his sore paws and over used claws, he remembered the story that his mother had told him and his sister about when MizuClan journeyed to the place in the valley where they are now. They had to climb a mountain face after spending nearly a moon in a desert. Bumblepaw also remembered that a tomcat called Eaglewings had fallen to his death after making it half way up. Bumblepaw shivered and tried to concentrate on the climb. He was almost there, close so close, but his paws were slipping with moister from the mist that had settled on the mountain rock the farther Bumblepaw had climbed. His claws racked at the rock and in some places left marks of his struggle. Bumble could see the edge he would have to get to and with a massive effort, brought his paws over the side and heaved himself up. Throwing his body to the side, Bumblepaw panted heavily from the climb. His legs were aching and were hard to move. He wasn't sure if would be able to move them for the rest of the day. However he managed to stagger to his paws and lean slightly over the edge of the rock face he had just climbed. As he looked now, Bumblepaw wasn't even sure it was really possible to climb, whether he had made it or not. Bumblepaw stepped back and shook his head. He needed to keep going.

Bumblepaw spent two more days walking through the mountain. The whole time he could smell the fresh scent of air beyond the mountain, but still he had no yet seen it. Then, one early morning when the sun was just rising behind him, Bumblepaw stepped onto a ledge that over looked a huge place. However it was still too dark with the sun just creeping over the mountain to see much. Bumblepaw was able to make out a good amount of trees and a big body of slow moving water but that was it. Then his eyes were filled with awe. The sun towered over the rock formation Bumblepaw was standing on. Beyond him, Bumblepaw could see a huge forest like he had never seen. From where he was it didn't look like Twolegs had found the place yet. A huge river moved so slow didn't look like it was moving, and in the distance Bumblepaw could hear the sound of man animals welcoming the rays of the sun before the quickly approaching leaf-bare took it from them. Bumblepaw wasn't able to move.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Bumblepaw turned to see his father sitting beside him. Inkbrush's fur was full of a glow that was like stars.

"I should have brought MizuClan here," Bumblepaw meowed. Inkbrush nodded.

"You will, one day you will invite MizuClan _and_ ReedClan to join you here." Bumblepaw glanced sideways that his father.

"Why didn't I just bring them when I left?" Bumblepaw asked.

"None would have listened to you, for you are only an apprentice. But the valley is not safe for the Clans. More the Twoface are stalking the Clans. Hopefully you will be a leader with a fine Clan before then. That way you can save them," Inkbrush mewed, looking over the wonderful forest that was so big it could hold more then just three Clans.

"How will I start my Clan?" Bumblepaw then asked. "I'm only an apprentice and I didn't get the training on leading my own Clan." Inkbrush chuckled before answering.

"Find the best place for your Clan to live, and remember everything that a Clan needs to live. Find a well protected camp and then find others to join you," Bumblepaw's father responded. Bumblepaw looked hard at his father. For some reason, Bumblepaw felt like only his father had sent him here and none of the other StarClan cats. "The whole of StarClan is on your side," Inkbrush then meowed, as if reading his son's thoughts. He touched his tail tip to Bumblepaw's shoulder. "But StarClan don't walk these skies, so once you enter it, you will be alone until you bring the other two Clans." Bumblepaw nodded.

"I won't let you down father. Dippedpaw and Aspentail…..Hawkstar and Skywalker….. I'll bring them all." Inkbrush smiled and licked his son's head before vanishing into the cool mountain air.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two _The Surprises_

Bumblepaw didn't waste time and skirted down the mountain. His paws felt as light as falling leaves and he ran with the quickness of WindClan. Bumblepaw ran from the mountain and around the right side of the lake. He didn't want to be too close to the mountain in case unwanted cats came after his Clan. Bumblepaw tried to think of all of the essentials that a Clan would need. Food and water were a given, so Bumblepaw picked the land on the other side of the lake opposite of the mountain. There was plenty of food here, and the water was there in huge quantities. The water also helped with protection. Bumblepaw couldn't think of much else that a Clan would need.

"Duh," Bumblepaw then meowed, "a camp!" Bumblepaw cursed himself at his stupidity and started looking for the camp. It would have to be away from the water in case of floods, but not too far so that the elders, queens, and kits could walk there for a drink. Bumblepaw spotted a strange bush growth a while later. As he got closer, he could tell from smell and sight that it was of brambles but also gorse and other bush growth all grown together. There was a small opening to a tunnel and Bumblepaw took his time to make sure that it wasn't an old badger set. He could barely see a clearing on the other side, and his excitement was making it hard for him to use his better judgment. Still Bumblepaw had taken his time and he was sure that it was empty. Bumblepaw started in hoping he wouldn't meet anyone on the way. It was small and the thorns dragged at his coat, but Bumblepaw couldn't stop now, he had the feeling that he was close, very close to his new camp.

Bumblepaw stepped out of the rather long tunnel. He realized that it had sloped down so that was part of why he had lost his footing a few times. Yet the tunnel had promised him something when he first saw it, and it didn't fail him. Before Bumblepaw was a brilliant set up of what would one day be made into his Clan's camp. Bumblepaw was so engrossed in the view and promise of new life that he didn't noticed the tunnel quivering slightly as another animal passed through it. He jumped at the sound of a voice, high pitched with fury.

"Who are you, what are you doing in _my_ camp?" Bumblepaw whirled around to see a beautiful brightly pelted she-cat with golden eyes. She was a little young then he, but not by much.

The word that stood out was 'my' and he suddenly left sick with his promise being ripped away.

"Well?" the she-cat pressed. Two mice lay at her white paws.

"I-I'm Bumblepaw," Bumblepaw forced himself to say. He tried to swipe the shock from his face as he spoke.

"Well _Bumblepaw_ I'm Slypaw and this is my Clan camp," Slypaw hissed at him. Bumblepaw waited for warriors to attack him, but then he was smart and used his nose. There weren't any other cats here, just Slypaw and Bumblepaw.

"I don't see a Clan," Bumblepaw said tartly. Slypaw flinched but quickly recovered herself.

"Don't rub it in," she spat. Slypaw picked up her prey but the tails and pushed Bumblepaw aside as she walked passed him. She dropped the mice in a small dug out hole which Bumblepaw quickly understood as the fresh-kill pile.

Bumblepaw followed Slypaw to where she sat in the mouth of a den that Bumblepaw would have picked out as the warriors' den. She started to clean herself as if Bumblepaw hadn't ruffled her fur.

"Do you want to join?" Slypaw suddenly meowed. Bumblepaw was caught of guard and didn't know what to say at first. His silence made Slypaw turn her back around from grooming her back fur. "Well?"

"I…that is… I making my own Clan," Bumblepaw mewed. Slypaw looked at him for a moment before starting to roar with laughter. She fell to her side and kicked her legs up into the air before taking in a deep breath to calm herself. She was still on her side when she spoke again.

"You're kidding right?" Slypaw was barely able to contain herself. Bumblepaw's fur started to bristle.

"Well isn't that what you're doing?" Bumblepaw snapped violently. Slypaw didn't seem to hear him.

"Who do you think you are, anyway, a leader?" Slypaw jeered. Bumblepaw had had enough of her talk.

"No, I am Bumblepaw, son Inkbrush and grand-kit of Darkside." Slypaw suddenly sat up in one swift movement. Bumblepaw looked into her inquiring eyes.

"Darkside?" she repeated. Bumblepaw nodded, and though he knew that Darkside had been a great blind warrior to MizuClan he couldn't understand why this cat should know anything about him. "I'm grand-kit of Julstar, Julstar and Darkside were once really good friends. Did your mother ever tell you of the story?" Bumblepaw was taken aback and then a wave of gilt fell over him as he shook his head in responds to Slypaw. He should know, he was Darkside's grand-kit, but he didn't know. Slypaw didn't press the matter of not knowing, however and launched right into the story about how Julstar and his deputy Moonstream had saved Darkside from a badger. They had asked Darkside to join their Clan and he agreed. However it wasn't long before a white she-cat with ice blue eyes had told Julstar that he was needed in another Clan. Julstar had left with Moonstream, but they had left Darkside behind. "Was Darkside ever bitter about it?" Slypaw asked at the end of the story. "Moonstream, well Moonstar now, told me that Julstar felt bad about leaving Darkside behind, but it was all he could do at the time."

Bumblepaw shrugged, "I never met Darkside, he die before my father was born." Slypaw looked at her paws for a moment. And then back at Bumblepaw.

"So are you really going to make a Clan?" she asked, rather hopefully.

"I plane to, that's what StarClan wants me to do. I found this camp and thought it to be the perfect place for my Clan." Slypaw suddenly smiled.

"I want to help!" she meowed jumping to her paws.

"But I thought that this was _your_ Clan camp," Bumblepaw meowed. He wanted to make sure that he could have it. Slypaw rolled her eyes.

"Ok, so I was….._saving_ it for you. You can have it, just please let me stay." Bumblepaw nodded and Slypaw let out a squeak for happiness.

"Let's start with dens and fresh-kill," Bumblepaw suggested.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three _The Apprentices_

Bumblepaw and Slypaw enjoyed the fresh prey from the forest after a long day's work. They had started early in making the camp look more like a camp. The first den seen after coming out of the tunnel was for the warriors. From there, Bumblepaw had followed Slypaw put a sloping path. The whole camp was surrounded by a rock wall, Bumblepaw had noticed as he walked up the small path. The higher they went the more protection that Bumblepaw noticed. The apprentices' den was close to the warriors' den, but the path was needed to get inside of it. Beyond that, the elders' den and nursery were decided to be farther up along the path for more protection. The leader's den as at the end of the walkway if one were going straight, but by turning to the right there was a ledge where the leader could stand for meeting. Lastly the medicine cat's den was decided better off on the floor of the camp so that the medicine cat could quickly help cats.

"How about here?" Slypaw had asked. Bumblepaw looked at where she flicked her tail to indicate to a cave in the side of the rock wall. It was two tails away from the path. Bumblepaw walked passed Slypaw and peeked into the cave. It was dark but with a good amount of moss it would also be less cold.

"Good, I think it will work," Bumblepaw had said.

Bumblepaw finished his mouse and sat up to clean. How much longer would he and his new friend have to wait until a new cat joined? It seemed like a long time after half a moon of working on the camp. "So what will be the Clan name?" Slypaw suddenly put in. "I was thinking like SlyClan." Bumblepaw shot Slypaw a look from in between licks. She smiled at him.

"I don't know yet," Bumblepaw meowed. He had noticed the large amount of bracken in the territory, but he hadn't decided on where the terra would stop. "I have to think about it. Let's go hunting now so that we don't have to get up later to do it."

As Bumblepaw and Slypaw hunted, Bumblepaw couldn't stop thinking about how he was supposed to get more cats to join.

Bumblepaw jumped suddenly as a vole hit him right in the face. His fur was standing on end until he spotted Slypaw looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"Come _on_," she hissed. Bumblepaw covered the vole with earth before trotted up to Slypaw's side.

"Do you know any other cats that live here?" Bumblepaw asked just as he caught the scent of mouse. Slypaw nodded but didn't say a word as Bumblepaw was soon stalking the mouse. He caught it quickly and covered it to hear what Slypaw had to say. "Really, you do?"

"I've scented a few," Slypaw meowed. "But we keep away from each other."

"Well we could ask them to join….how old are they?" Bumblepaw didn't want warriors or elders to join because it would be easy for them to take the Clan over. Bumblepaw knew suddenly what he needed, what the Clan needed; apprentices. His heart fluttered in his chest at what Slypaw said next.

"About your age, but I think one is a little older." Bumblepaw nodded and then chose his words carefully so that Slypaw didn't mess them up to sound like something bad.

"Ok, you go back to camp and I'll try and track them-" Slypaw quickly interrupted him.

"I don't think so! I maybe younger but I'm not being left behind. Plus, you don't even know your way around the forest!" Bumblepaw nodded again and then stepped behind Slypaw to show that she was to lead. Slypaw snorted and tossed her head and tail into the air as she started to prance off. It wasn't long before Bumblepaw could smell another cat other then he and Slypaw. Slypaw's head was forward to listen to the sounds of the forest, her tail lower now. Bumblepaw suddenly froze as a molted brown tomcat caught his eye.

The tom wasn't looking at him, but flicked his tail in greeting. Between his paws was a thrush and he ate it without care that it was really Slypaw's and Bumblepaw's. Bumblepaw quickly noticed how long his legs were and thought ahead to when this cat could out run any other feline.

"Hey there," Bumblepaw called to him. The apprentice aged cat stopped gnawing on a bone of his catch.

"Hi," he meowed back. It was quiet for a moment. Bumblepaw moved forward to where he could sit in front of the brown cat. The tom looked at his with questioning eyes but was completely at ease.

"Can I talk to you?" Bumblepaw asked. Slypaw didn't come to his side like he thought she would. He turned his head and saw two more unknown cats coming out of the bushes. Slypaw was watching them as relaxed she could, but they seemed more afraid then she did.

"Sure you can partner," the brown tomcat then meowed. Bumblepaw flicked his tail to the other two.

"I need to speak with you two, can you come here?" The two new cats looked like siblings. One was a she-cat and the other a tom, both where younger then Bumblepaw, but older then Slypaw. Slypaw spoke something quietly to them before walking with the grey tom and his off white pelted sister to Bumblepaw. "I am Bumblepaw," Bumblepaw meowed to the three new cats. "This is Slypaw." He pointed to her with his tail. Slypaw dipped her calico head. "Slypaw and I are making a Clan, and we are looking for new cats to join. I was wondering if any of you wanted to join." There was silence. The molted tom spoke first.

"Why not," he meowed. "I would like a place where I could stay with others." Bumblepaw smiled warmly at the other two.

"What's a…_Clan_?" asked the she-cat.

"It's a group of cats that work together to keep each other healthy and safe," Slypaw said, blinking her golden eyes.

"Can both my sister and I join together?" the she-cat's brother asked.

"Of course," Bumblepaw meowed. "We'll feed each other and keep each other safe." The grey tom nodded and looked to his sister who also nodded.

After the joining of the three new cats in the forest, Bumblepaw had everyone find prey and bring it back. The brother and sister had no idea how to hunt, and Bumblepaw was sure that their thinness was due to that fact. The older brown tom, who said he had no named, tried to teach the siblings enough to catch a mouse or two. Back at camp Bumblepaw went over rules of the Clan.

"Rules?" the she-cat, known as Flower, fretted.

"Afraid so, but don't worry you'll learn them all in good time," Slypaw meowed.

"But to start," Bumblepaw broke in, "you all need apprentice names." Flower's eyes clouded.

"But my mother named us," she said. Her grey brother said nothing.

"Well, you are now an apprentice of this Clan, so you'll need a new name. We'll start with you." Bumblepaw turned to the long legged tom cat. "You'll be Longpaw." Longpaw nodded and smiled at his new name, happy with it. Bumblepaw turned to the grey brother. "You'll be Greypaw," he meowed. "And your sister will be Creampaw." Creampaw smiled and giggled left her mouth.

"I like that name," she mewed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four _The Clan_

During the next week or so, Bumblepaw had a meeting every day to talk about different things a Clan did. Longpaw was in charge of hunting training while Greypaw was exceeding in fighting, and showed the others how to do it too. Practice patrols went out all day and during the brakes where the new Clan ate together, everyone was already tired, yet the fire of determination burned in their eyes.

Bumblepaw spent a lot of his time wondering if Creampaw was meant to be a warrior and not a medicine cat instead. The way she moved in fighting showed how she didn't want to fight, but her hunting skills almost matched Longpaw. Bumblepaw sighed and decided that once he talked about the medicine cat today at the meeting Creampaw could sleep on the idea.

"Let all of those old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting," Bumblepaw said. His cats were already around him, but he needed to get used to the idea.

"You know, you should start using the Highledge soon," Slypaw said before Bumblepaw could start.

"I didn't know we had a Highledge," Creampaw meowed after finishing her vole.

"We'll talk about that later," Bumblepaw snapped to keep the she-cats quiet. "Ok, today we are going to talk about medicine cats." Bumblepaw started to explain how medicine cats took care of the Clan by healing and talking to StarClan, and interpreting sighs and omens. A few questions were asked, and Creampaw look horrified when Bumblepaw mentioned the part about medicine cats not being able to chose a mate or have kits. By the end of the meeting everyone had a good understanding on what a medicine cat was. "Tomorrow I want Creampaw and me to go on dawn patrol. Slypaw and Greypaw will go on hunting patrol. Longpaw, you watch the camp." The apprentices nodded and buried their prey bones as thanks to StarClan for given them the meal.

In the apprentices' den Bumblepaw and his new family slept. It was warm and the soft bodies around the dark pelted tomcat made him sleepy even this early. Soon Bumblepaw was in a deep sleep. He was dreaming again as the familiar wind and scent of his father blew around him. Bumblepaw opened his eyes to see the he was flying above his forest like the first time his father had talked to him. He was a little confused, however, as he knew well that Inkbrush had said that Bumblepaw would be on his own until he brought the other two Clans to live with him. StarClan didn't walk these skies, yet somehow Inkbrush had managed to give his son a little more comfort that night with his scent lingering in the air, and the feeling of flight did please Bumblepaw.

Creampaw and Bumblepaw left before the hunting patrol. They first trotted to the lake and then followed it towards the mountains. After finding themselves parallel with the river far on the opposite side of the lake, Bumblepaw brought Creampaw deeper into the forest and turned to leave the mountains behind. There weren't many land marks that Bumblepaw could go by just yet so the patrols were a little confusing to go on. Bumblepaw made his way back to the river and started to pad the way he and Creampaw had not yet gone. While they walked, Bumblepaw asked Creampaw what she could smell. Creampaw answered everything right, and Bumblepaw was starting to think that he had been over reacting with the medicine cat thought.

"This is the end of our territory," Bumblepaw said, stopping. "We'll scent mark it and follow the border." Creampaw followed his lead.

"Why don't we make our land bigger?" she then asked.

"Because it's too much for us to handle right now, plus I told you about the two more Clans that will one day be coming. It's best that we pick our terra carefully now rather then later."

"That's why you'll make a great leader." Bumblepaw was thrown off guard by that comment and he halted for a moment before following the border again, marking it as he went.

Bumblepaw was surprised to learn of a creek far from his camp and on the edge of his territory. It was nice, and clean, clear water flowed in it. The water was quick moving but only came up to his belly fur at its deepest. "Let's get back and tell the others!" Bumblepaw mewed excitedly and he and Creampaw ran as fast as their paws would carry them to report what they found to the rest of the Clan.

It was passed sunhigh when Bumblepaw and Creampaw entered camp, and Greypaw and Slypaw had already returned from their hunting patrol. Bumblepaw saw the over flowing fresh-kill pile.

"Well done!" he meowed. Slypaw looked away embarrassed.

"Guess what we found?" Creampaw then mewed, quivering with uncontainable excitement. "A creek, we found a creek!" Longpaw came over to listen as Bumblepaw and Creampaw described the new body of water. Greypaw started on a mouse as he listened.

"What do you make of it, Bumblepaw?" Longpaw asked.

"I think it will be good to use during leaf-bare if it doesn't freeze over," Bumblepaw responded.

"Oh it will," Longpaw promised. "Leaf-bares are cold here." Bumblepaw was a little upset with Longpaw's comment, but he didn't voice it.

"We use it," Bumblepaw meowed calmly. "It could have small fish to catch." He was about to report that all was quiet when Greypaw meowed,

"When do we become warriors?" Bumblepaw quickly thought of a reasonable answer.

"When the Clan leader and the apprentice's mentor think the apprentice is ready," Bumblepaw answered.

"But we don't have a leader, or mentors. Yet we've been training harder then any other apprentice for nearly a moon and a half!" Greypaw argued.

"That is no way to speak to Bumblepaw," Longpaw meowed, stepping in. "He may not have his leader name and nine lives yet but he is the right leader of this Clan." Greypaw muttered something and got up to walk to the apprentices' den. Just as he put a paw into the den, Bumblepaw called to him.

"Greypaw, soon, I promise it will be soon."

Bumblepaw spent whatever time he could with Slypaw. He found that he enjoyed her company very much, but she was distracting even if she didn't speak, so Bumblepaw often chose a different patrol for her. Slypaw was indeed sly, and she gave Bumblepaw a strange smile of suspicion before padding off with Longpaw. Bumblepaw stayed where he was for a long moment.

"Everything ok, Bumblepaw," Greypaw asked. Bumblepaw nodded still looking into the tunnel which had just stopped moving to indicate that Slypaw and Longpaw had completely left the camp. Bumblepaw suppressed a sigh. He missed Slypaw already.

"Ok let's get those bramble bush and thorns over the nursery," Bumblepaw meowed. Creampaw loved to be near the nursery even if there weren't any kits or queens inside of it at the time. She talked the whole time about how wonderful and comfy it looked. Bumblepaw was sure that Creampaw would end up as one of the first queens in his Clan. That thought made him very happy. The Clan would grow fast with the two she-cats, if they both decided to bare kits that is.

"It's all done Bumblepaw!" Creampaw called from near the end of the path away where the elders' den was. She had asked to fit it up herself, and after her brother and he had approved it, Bumblepaw was going to eat and go to sleep without a meeting tonight. It was supposed to be all about StarClan, but Bumblepaw didn't feel up to talking about it in case his father came up in the questions.

"Its great," Bumblepaw said as he looked over the well protected elders' den. The floor was springy with fresh grasses and moss even though it would hopefully be a long time before it was used.

Creampaw purred with her thanks at Bumblepaw's complement. He was startled to have Greypaw come up behind him. The tomcat jumped and fell onto his side and then up on his paws to face Greypaw.

"Wow, did Longpaw teach you that, cause I didn't," Greypaw meowed, his body half in the elders' den. Bumblepaw forced his fur to lay flat.

"Uh…I guess," he stammered. He pushed his way out of the den. Greypaw said something encouragingly to Creampaw as Bumblepaw padded down the pathway to the ground again. He stopped beside the warriors' den and wondered, for some reason, that he was doing something wrong. The Clan had gotten bigger, but for some reason the smoothness had Bumblepaw standing on the edge of a cliff. He wished there was a way to talk to his father. He needed him now more then ever it seemed.

Slypaw and Longpaw were just coming into the Clan with fresh-kill and a good report that all was quiet. Slypaw could tell that Bumblepaw wasn't himself, but she didn't push him to talk about it. However she did make him tell the others about StarClan.

"So all of those that we've lost are in the sky?" Creampaw asked amazed.

"Those that followed the warrior code are up there," Bumblepaw meowed, looking at the fading sun as he spoke. "They say that every star is the spirit of a cat now gone. Silverpelt is that milky looking part of the sky at night where a lot of stars cluster together. StarClan speak to us in many ways like in signs and omens, but also dreams." Bumblepaw watched eyes widen as he spoke. Even Slypaw, who knew all of this, was listening closely. "There are different StarClan's, StarClan's for ever Clan." Bumblepaw wasn't surprised when it was Creampaw who then questioned Bumblepaw of the fact that had been hurting him since he climbed down from the mountain.

"Do we have a StarClan?" Creampaw asked. Greypaw looked up, waiting for an answer, as he was most likely wondering the same thing but wasn't going to ask.

"I believe that we have our own StarClan, yes," Bumblepaw said. Creampaw looked cheered by the thought, but Greypaw didn't look convinced.

"Shall we sleep?" Longpaw then mewed, stretching his long limbs. Slypaw jumped up at once and gave her chest fur a few licks.

"Yeah, I'm tried," she yawned. Greypaw and Creampaw walked up together with Longpaw following close behind. Bumblepaw lingered, and Slypaw waited for him next to the warriors' den. "What's up?" Bumblepaw looked at her. She cared, he could tell, but he didn't want to talk right now.

"Not right now," Bumblepaw meowed, passing Slypaw with only a sideways glance. At once anger flared into Slypaw's golden eyes and she shoved Bumblepaw out of the way and ran up to the den on her own. Bumblepaw had nearly lost his footing on that. He sighed after gaining his balance again. Perhaps a thank you for caring should have been voiced.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five _The Timing_

Bumblepaw pushed himself through the apprentice's den exit. Outside the air was crisp and cold. Small wisp of white left Bumblepaw's mouth as he breathed. Above, along the side of the walls, the tree's leaves were all bright colors of leaf-fall. Bumblepaw had remembered when he spent the whole day with Slypaw the day before. They had sat at the lake edge and looked at the amazing colors of their forest.

With a shake of his darkened pelt, Bumblepaw padded down the path to the ground. It was hard and with a glance to the fresh-kill pile, Bumblepaw knew he would have to send Creampaw and Longpaw out to hunt.

It had been about two moons since Bumblepaw talked to his cats about StarClan, and they had been blessed each night with the sight of their warrior ancestors. Bumblepaw still had the worries of talking with StarClan in the back of his mind. He needed a sign, but Bumblepaw was sure that he wasn't going to get one here. With a sigh, the apprentice trotted down the path from the apprentices' den to the tunnel that led out of camp. The coolness of the air had startled Bumblepaw, but as he trotted about the forest and to the edge of the lake to drink, his eyes were fixed on the amazing view of the bright colored forest. Bumblepaw had seen it yesterday too, but as the rays of the sun came over the mountain the color seem to reflect it in a wonderful glow. Bumblepaw sat to watch the trees move with barely a sound in the slight breeze.

It was sunhigh and Bumblepaw was finding it hard to think of something for his cats to do. If there were nothing to do, he would be attacked with questions that he could not yet answer, such as when he and the others would become warriors. After Greypaw had brought that fact up, Bumblepaw had been getting it from everyone.

"Maybe you should ask StarClan about it," Creampaw had said. Bumblepaw wasn't sure that Creampaw understood how that wouldn't be possible here. He would have to go to MizuClan to speak formally with his warrior ancestors.

Bumblepaw spotted Slypaw filling in a hole on the unused warriors' den. He padded over to her and sat by her side and watched her work with skillful paws.

"Come to help?" she asked, not looking away from the gap. When Bumblepaw didn't answer she continued. "Longpaw did this; he tried to jump on top of it to show off to Creampaw. I told him not to." She sighed as she finished filling in the hole with leaves and wet mud from the lake. "I hope that you don't mind I asked Longpaw to get the mud," Slypaw meowed. She brought her one paw to her mouth and started to clean.

"I don't mind, that's what he gets for what he did," Bumblepaw mewed. He angled his ears as he heard cats coming into the camp. His nose told him that it was Longpaw and Greypaw. Longpaw was shivering and Bumblepaw got up quickly trot to his side. "What happened?"

"Noting big," Greypaw meowed. Longpaw shook himself, sending droplets of water off of his coat. "He slipped on the bank of the creek."

"Get cleaned up and have some fresh-kill," Bumblepaw ordered Longpaw. The brown tabby nodded and started to wash. Bumblepaw's fear of Longpaw catching a cold fluttered in his belly, but he tried not to show it.

"Bumblepaw," a she-cat called. He turned his brown head to see Creampaw coming out of the apprentices' den. "I'm bored."

"You can help Longpaw then, he fell into the creek, get him something to eat," Bumblepaw meowed.

He didn't sleep well that night, and in the morning he announced to his Clan that he was leaving to speak with StarClan. The other cats at once started to ask if they could go. Bumblepaw decided that it would be a good idea to bring one of his friends with him, but he wasn't sure of which one.

"Longpaw," he then meowed. "You will come with me." Bumblepaw felt guilt rush over him when he met Slypaw's eyes. She was hurt he hadn't picked her, but Bumblepaw wasn't sure that bringing Slypaw with him wouldn't be the best idea. "Slypaw…" Bumblepaw struggled to speak. She turned and padded to the den without another word.

Longpaw and Bumblepaw ran to the mountains. Although Longpaw had spoken sense about not running, Bumblepaw wanted to feel like he was the one giving orders. More guilt fell on him when Longpaw cut his paw on the way up the mountain. A sharp rock had gotten in his way, but he hadn't seen it.

"Longpaw, are you alright?" Bumblepaw called from the ledge he had first looked at the forest on. Longpaw meowed back in a yes, but Bumblepaw wasn't so sure.

"Just a scratch," Longpaw mewed, pulling himself up beside Bumblepaw. "Wow, look at this view!" Bumblepaw nodded.

"This is what I first saw when I came here. I knew that this was where StarClan wanted me to be." Longpaw gave him a side ways glance. "Let's move on, we'll be lucky if we get to the moorland in three days."

For two days Longpaw and Bumblepaw were unable to find food. Bumblepaw had told Longpaw that in the moorland there would be plenty to eat, but this only made it harder for the two to move on. They were tried already, and the thought of food, without having it, was slowing them down. It was two days later when they made it to the cliff face Bumblepaw thought he would fall from while climbing.

"What do you think?" Longpaw meowed. Bumblepaw studied the rock and could see where his claws had met the stone. A slight shiver escaped him.

"I think we should use the rock groves," Bumblepaw answered. He pointed with his tail to small bits of stone that jutted out. Longpaw didn't look so sure, but to show his loyalty to Bumblepaw's words, he started down the face. Bumblepaw hesitated before following, praying to StarClan that neither of them would be killed or hurt. "Be careful, it's slippery," Bumblepaw called down to Longpaw. The brown tabby flicked his ears showing that he had heard Bumblepaw, but continued at the same rate until he was close enough to drop to the ground safely. Bumblepaw had more trouble then his friend, slipping constantly and taking so much time to get to the ground that his legs were starting to buckle and stiffen to where he couldn't move them very well.

"Just drop," Longpaw shouted up to Bumblepaw. Bumblepaw took a deep breath. He pushed off of the rock and spun in the air for a few slow moments and then landed with a thud beside Longpaw. "Bumblepaw, are you ok? You didn't land on your paws." Bumblepaw felt a paw in his side. He stood up and shook his fur.

"I'm ok." Longpaw didn't look convinced, but he said no more and waited for Bumblepaw to lead the way.

Once the two apprentices were half way through the moorland, Bumblepaw felt uneasy, as he and Longpaw seemed so close to the Clan that Bumblepaw had left. Bumblepaw didn't feel right, and he was sure it was because he was so used to living away from MizuClan that it felt like he wasn't allowed there anymore. Never the less, Bumblepaw _had_ to speak with StarClan about becoming a warrior.

Bumblepaw awoke the next morning to a plump rabbit by his nose. Looking up, the young cat saw Longpaw eating a rabbit of his own. The warm scent flooded Bumblepaw's mouth with water, but he hesitated.

"Hey Longpaw, I have a question," Bumblepaw meowed, sitting up.

"Ask away partner," Longpaw said in between mouthfuls of rabbit.

"Remember when I told you that on the way to speak with StarClan, those who were to speak with them couldn't eat?" Longpaw suddenly looked nervous.

"Yes," he mewed. "Did I do something wrong by bringing you food?"

"No, I mean, I'm not sure if I can eat it," Bumblepaw confessed. He sniffed the rabbit and felt a fresh new wave of hunger settle in his belly.

"What if you eat it and then we'll spend an extra day in the mountains?" Longpaw suggested. "That works right?" Bumblepaw shrugged. He wasn't sure that Longpaw understood the importance of following the ways of the warrior code yet.

Bumblepaw swallowed hard and then started to rip the rabbit apart before he could think twice about it. He was done so fast that his belly still snarled for more awhile after. Bumblepaw's stomach was now content, but he felt even worse then before. Looking up at the sky, Bumblepaw saw that the sun was climbing quickly on through the blue, so Bumblepaw urged Longpaw on.

"Hey Bumblepaw, how much longer," Longpaw asked as he and Bumblepaw made it to the foot of the mountain chain.

"Many more days," Bumblepaw sighed. He jumped t the lower rock and started his way up carefully. Longpaw followed with ease as his long legs helped him over the gaps. Longpaw should have started in front, Bumblepaw concluded, but there was little time for that now. They needed to find a good place to stay for the rest of the night.

"What's that smell?" Longpaw suddenly asked. Bumblepaw landed on a ledge that he had just jumped to. He put his nose into the air and a strange scent followed. It smelt of something like a cat, but it was no Clan cat.

"Not sure," Bumblepaw said under his breath. "We better keep going just in case." Bumblepaw listened hard as he climbed the next boulder, straining his ears to see if he could hear it coming before he saw it, whatever it was, but all he could hear was the small pebbles that fell after Bumblepaw or Longpaw jumped from a rock. Bumblepaw was uneasy and they still had a long way to go. _Help us StarClan!_


End file.
